On This Day

Pusher is a 1996 Danish crime drama co-written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, in his film debut. A commercial success considered highly influential in Danish film history, it helped launching Winding Refn’s and actor Mads Mikkelsen’s careers.

The film is set in the criminal underground of Copenhagen, Denmark, and tells the story of the drug dealer Frank (Kim Bodnia) who, after losing a large amount of money in a drug deal gone wrong, falls into desperation as he only has a few days to raise the money he owes.

Although he did not want to turn Pusher into a franchise, financial difficulties forced Winding Refn to make two sequels: Pusher II, focusing on Mikkelsen’s character after the events of the first film, and Pusher 3, focusing on another secondary character introduced in Pusher; both sequels were financial and critical successes as well. A Hindi remake of the film was also released in 2010, followed by a British remake in 2012.